Gustav Mahler was an Austrian composer known for his relentless perfectionism, large ideas, and larger symphonies. He was quite popular in Austria during his time.

His education in music began at the Vienna Conservatory. He focused on composition and harmony, as well as the piano. His first attempts at writing weren’t quite successful, so he diverted his energies toward conducting instead. This fared better for Mahler, and he progressed through increasingly prestigious posts throughout Europe before being appointed to the Hamburg Opera, which he held for some time. Thereafter he worked as the artistic director for the Vienna Opera, splitting his time between conducting and writing. Most of his pieces come from this era. His Symphony No. 8 was widely acclaimed upon release.

However, the anti-Semitic sentiment of the day proved a problem for the Jewish Mahler. He was continually hounded by prejudice, and ended up moving to America to work in New York. He remained there for the last four years of his life, before returning to Vienna, where he died in 1911.